Palm Beach Gardens officials: Spring training deal still needs work

The plan to relocate the spring training homes of two major league franchises to Palm Beach Gardens may not be as close to consummation as one owner suggests.

Houston Astros' owner Jim Crane told MLB.com a deal that would house his team and the Toronto Blue Jays in new complex is "95 percent" complete. Crane suggested all that's lacking is for the city to sign off on the finances.

"The money's available, both teams are committed and we've just got to get it inked up," Crane told MLB.com, adding everything could be "buttoned up" by month's end. Crane also revealed the Blue Jays had recently signed a letter-of-intent to move from their current spring headquarters in Dunedin. Efforts to reach the Blue Jays were unsuccessful.

Palm Beach Gardens spokesman Tom McNicholas said: "We are thrilled that Jim Crane and the Astros are committed to Palm Beach Gardens and Palm Beach County. However, right now we are only preparing for the public process and we have much due diligence to complete in an effort to be certain this project is good for our community."

One Palm Beach Gardens council member believes Crane is optimistic, if not altogether unrealistic. Aware of Crane's comments, David Levy said he had not been updated on the project recently, but he puts the timetable at months, not weeks.

"[Crane] may have more information than I do," Levy said. "I think we have a lot left to do."

Foremost on the to-do list is getting the financing in order. In May, the Florida Legislature approved $50 million in funding for the two-team training site, which could open as early as 2016. That covers about half of the projected cost for the facility, earmarked for 82 acres of county-owned land by PGA and Central Boulevards.

Discussions about different funding sources – including the Astros and Blue Jays themselves – for the remaining $50 million are ongoing, but nothing is finalized. Levy did say the council was against imposing ad valorum taxes.

Another facet is the design. Crane in the MLB.com piece said architects already were at work on specs, which both the Astros and Blue Jays must approve. The city also will have input. Ideally, Levy said, the facility would abut Interstate-95 so it's visible to motorists and limits the impact on residential areas.

"These new facilities have gotten pretty sophisticated, so we're going to make sure we've got everything they need there," Crane said. "We'll get [manager] Bo [Porter] and [general manger] Jeff [Luhnow] involved in that design. We've also looked at other ones in Arizona and Florida, so we've studied all the good ones. We'll kind of emulate those models."

In addition to resolving the financing and architecture, Levy said the council likely would present the plan to residents and gauge their opinions. Adding two more teams would double the county's spring training tenants. The Marlins and Cardinals currently share the Roger Dean Stadium complex in nearby Jupiter, just north of Palm Beach Gardens.